


Inopportune Confessions

by asheface



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 10:44:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8246120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asheface/pseuds/asheface
Summary: First Perc'ahlia fanfic I've written. This was shared on tumblr already, but I finally have an account here to post to. Basic plot summary: I wanted to write what would happen if Percy spewed forth his feelings like Vax did in the Briarwood Arc.





	

Percy was always a private sort of person. He was never one to rock the boat unnecessarily, and he was always patient enough to wait for his moment to speak, never too soon and always with purpose. His sentences were always poised and articulate, as the speech of a noble should be, and there was always a very practical purpose behind his words. So, naturally, when feelings swarmed in his head and heart that he wasn’t quite ready to deal with, he would stay quiet, making sure not to say anything dangerous. 

However, sometimes the barriers one puts up may eventually crack, and a small sliver of raw and pure emotion may slip out. Percy knew this feeling all too well, recalling when his rage had caused him to severely maim an innocent youth the night the Briarwoods came to Emon. Even weeks after they were killed, and things were made right in Whitestone, a strong feeling of guilt remained in the pit of his stomach for what he had allowed to let slip that night. Even now, as they have embarked on yet another quest for the good of Tal Dorei, he thinks back to that moment, and continues his resolve to never let anything like that happen again.

“Percival, do you mind?”

Percy’s mind is yanked from its internal meditation by Vax, who looks to him with an armful of kindling for their camp’s fire.

“Ah, y-yes. Of course.” Percy stands, brushing any dirt and grass from his coat, and takes the sticks from Vax to set into the fire to keep it going for the rest of the night.

“You seem a little distracted, everything alright?” Vax asks with worry in his eyes.

“Yes, I am fine.” Percy says shortly.

“The smoke demon isn’t back, is it?” Keyleth gasps, approaching behind Vax, who shifts a little awkwardly when she approaches.

Percy looks between the two of them curiously, but decides to leave that be. “No, not at all, I was just… lost in thought, I suppose.

Keyleth nods with a slight frown. “Alright, but you tell us if it comes back, okay?”

Percy gives her a small smile. “If it comes back, I promise to let you know.”

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Keyleth continues on to set up her bedroll next to Pike’s. Vax watches her leave with a slight sadness in his eyes, and before he turns to set up his own bedroll, gives a slight nod to Percy. “Alright, well, we’re thinking of having two people take watch at a time tonight. The forest is eerily quiet, and it makes me a little nervous. First up is you and Vex, then after your shift, wake Keyleth and Pike.”

Percy nods, “I shall,” and he looks over at Vex, who is currently sitting on a small fallen tree and restringing her bow. Her deft fingers move carefully and swiftly as she pulls the string tight, and a bit of her dark hair has fallen in her face. Percy can’t help but think of brushing the small strands of hair out of her eyes, purely to make things easier for her, of course. But before he can deliberate further, Vax’s hand claps his shoulder, and he is briefly startled out of thought once more.

“Well, the rest of us are gonna get some sleep. You kids stay out of trouble.” Vax smiles and gives a slight wink, going towards Grog and Scanlan to get himself ready for sleep.

Percy lets out a small sigh, and then walks towards the fallen tree to take a seat at the other end from where Vex is seated. After an hour, the only sounds that can be heard are the gentle snores from the sleeping party and the crackling of the fire. As time goes by, Percy begins to think once more, this time thinking on why Vax and Keyleth have been acting so odd lately. But, for some reason, he can’t seem to recall very much of anything that could be of help.

“Uh, Vex?”

“Yes darling?” Vex says, looking up form her newly stringed bow with a smile.

Keeping his voice low so as not to wake the others, Percy whispers, “Do you know why Vax and Keyleth seem… odd?”

At the mention of this, Vex’s mood visibly drops and she sighs. “I don’t know, I tried to ask Vax, but he won’t talk to me about it. Might have something to do with him saying ‘I love you’ to her right after we rescued your sister.”

Percy scrunches his brow for a moment. Now that he thinks about it, he does recall something like that happening, but in the moment he was a little… preoccupied. He had seen that Vax’s affection for the half-elf druid had been steadily growing over time, but he hardly expected Vax to blurt it out like that, especially considering the timing. Fresh after a brush with death was hardly the correct moment to declare your love for someone, and in the middle of a coup at that. He suspected that perhaps Keyleth confronted him about it after words, and perhaps things didn’t go very well. They seemed to still be civil to each other, but things were noticeably different. Percy sighs internally, thinking back to his earlier thoughts on keeping strong feelings private, lest they become dangerous.

Percy looks back over to Vex, who has now started to work on fletching some new arrows. She has now pushed the stray strands of hair behind her ear, and is once again absorbed in her work. The firelight drapes across her face and hair, giving her a near angelic glow, and her lips move softly to words he cannot quite make out, but he hears a soft tune escaping from her mouth, as she sings while she works. He finds himself entranced, as this dangerous, beautiful woman continues to craft, and he can’t help but let out a soft sigh as his shoulders slump a little, his eyes becoming sad. Yes, strong feelings can be too dangerous to reveal, even when they make your heart soar; even when they make you ache for a touch, a word, some sort of release; even when it seems like there may never be another chance to let it out. In his mind, it is better to keep quiet, than to be crushed heart and soul, than to have any further interaction tainted by what was said.

As he looks on, Vex finishes the last of her arrows, and lets out a sigh. She looks over at Percy and gives him a warm smile. His heart skips a beat for a second, but he recovers and smiles right back. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment, and just before she can fully turn her attention elsewhere…

“I love you.”

Silence falls, and in that split second Percy realizes what he has just said when Vex whips her head back around, her eyes wide in surprise.

“What did you say?” She asks in a single breath.

Percy’s cheeks flush a bright red, and for once in his life, he is having trouble with words. “I-I-I uh… um, well I… I-I said um…” Blank. He can’t think of anything to save himself. He feels his chest grow tight and his heartbeat quicken with every second that passes with her looking intently at him.

“Percy… what did you say?” Vex says a little more urgently, her body turning entirely to face him.

“I-I said that I have to…. Have to um…” His eyes dart around the camp, looking for something, anything to backtrack.

“Percival…” Vex shifts closer to him on the log, not once taking her eyes off him. “You know I can read lips, right?”

Percy gulps. “Y-Yes I do.”

She moves even closer now. “And you know I have a very keen sense of hearing, yes?”

Percy’s breath hitches in his throat. She is merely a foot away from him now, and he can hear his heartbeat thumping in his ears. “You… are incredibly perceptive, yes.”

She places her hand gently on his shoulder. “I suppose what I am saying is… I know what you said… But do you, darling?”

Percy is silent for a moment, and he can see she is leaning in closer, urging him with her gaze to speak, and at the same time causing the stray bits of hair to fall back in her face. Instinctively, Percy reaches up with his own hand to brush them behind her ear, and this time, it is her who turns slightly red and gasps a little. He lets his hand rest against the side of her face, and silence falls once more as the two stare into each other’s eyes. Slowly, very slowly, they both lean forward. Percy can’t hear anything beyond his heartbeat now, and their lips begin to part and their eyes begin to close…

Until a big snuff of breath comes between them, as Trinket – who was previously sleeping- pokes his head in front of Vex’s.

Vex blinks and with a slight frown she looks at the bear. “Trinket!”

The bear makes a few low grunts, and Percy swears the beast gives him a look of “don’t you dare, boy.”

Vex sighs, and strokes Trinket’s fur. “I uh, I suppose it’s time for the next shift then.”

Percy lets out a slightly shuddered sigh. “I suppose it is.”

She nods. “I’ll wake the girls for their shift.” She stands up, and Trinket begins to make his way over to her bedroll. Percy stands up as well, and in an attempt to rid himself of any remaining adrenaline, he coughs and straightens his coat before he begins to make his way over to his own roll.

“Um, Percy?” Vex says softly.

Percy turns his head nervously. “Y-yes?”

She bites her lip a little, and continues. “We can… still talk about things another time, yes? Maybe… if we’re on watch together again?”

Percy’s heart nearly leaps out of his chest, but he does his best to remain composed. “Oh, um… Yes, of course.”

Vex smiles, and blushes once more. “I look forward to it… Goodnight, darling.” She gives him a parting wink, and then goes to rouse the girls for their turn on watch.

Percy nods, and lies down on his back, looking up at the stars. In his mind, he still believes it is dangerous to let strong feelings make themselves known out of the blue. But, then again, they sort of made their living on danger. He smiles to himself, and turns on his side to find Vax, fully awake with the biggest, shit-eating grin on his face.

Percy looks at him nervously. “W-What?”

Vax’s grin widens. “Scanlan owes me 50 gold.”


End file.
